Twilit Guardian
by betweenlightanddark
Summary: Post-Twilight Princess. Zant comes back to life and once again threatens the peace of Hyrule. This time it'll take more than one person to defeat him! Rated for language and violence, LinkxMidna pairing eventually.
1. Prologue

**Yes!!!! I finally was not lazy enough to put this up!! HAHAHAHAHA!!! Now you have to suffer my terrible writing!... no I just kidding. Anyway, this is the prologue, hope it draws you in enough to keep reading. ^^ **

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"That _thing_ never even served any purpose! We're perfectly capable of taking care of ourselves and so is the world of light!" explained a twili. He was arguing with another of his kind, only taller. Both were both dresses in fancy, traditional black robes.

"Are you suggesting we _kill_ one of our own kind?! One that has, in fact, been given power by the goddesses themselves to save us?!" replied the taller one. He was nervous, but hiding it under his commanding voice.

"What else do you plan to do?! There have been complaints of her watching those passing by. It's just not normal. Born of a human and a twili?! It's a freak of nature!"

"_She_ is not a freak of nature. She's proof that the goddesses would never abandon their…" but he was cut off.

"Sora!" called a loud whisper. A young girl kneeling outside the door jumped at her name and turned to see who it was. The voice belonged to her sister who was about two years older than she was. They both had orange hair tied back in short ponytails and were also dressed in traditional black robes. "What're you doing?! You _know_ you're not supposed to go near father office," She took a quick glance inside to make sure she wasn't heard. "Especially when he's talking with the king's assistant."

The younger girl, Sora, looked down at the ground avoiding her sister's angry gaze. "I didn't mean to. I…I just overheard and… I got curious." Tears began dripping from the young girls eyes. "I don't think it matters anymore……. He said…they want me dead."

"Are you stupid??!" Sora looked up. "Why would they want…" but she was cut off.

"Half of her is human! Don't tell me she's one of us!!"

Sora, suddenly self conscious, looked down at her one peach, leathery arm. This ugly skin covered most of her body, making her a freak.

"Okay… so I guess they do. But listen, father would never let them do anything to you!! You're going to be just fine!" She sighed and removed the anger from her face. "I and guess I won't tell father." She suddenly found herself in a hug and smiled a little.

"Thank you," Sora whispered through sobs.

"Yeah yeah. Now get outta here squirt before father she's ya!"

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**Hope you liked it! Rate and review and all that other good stuff!**


	2. Chapter 1 Again

Chapter 1 is up! I suppose that means there's no giving up now…..

The chapter is called "Again" for 2 reasons. 1. This is where Zant comes back. And 2. I rewrote this chapter about 5 times before finally coming up with this. The first one was never finished, the next one was too emotional and the one before this one was basically impossible.

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"The hour of twilight… it's almost like you can feel their presence,"

"No offence Rusl," Link interrupted his friend's musing. "But you've told this story a hundred times! It's not that I don't enjoy it, I'm just not in the mood right now." It was true; nobody in all of Hyrule enjoyed, or knew for that matter, the story of the Twilight more than Link. In fact, he got to experience it first-hand, an experience not easily forgotten.

Rusl responded with an embarrassed "oh", realizing that he did tell that story a lot. The two of them were sitting on the bank of the Faron Spring, like they often did after collecting wood for their small little village or Ordon. "Well," he finally said. "I s'pose we better be heading back." The two of them got to their feet, Link grabbed Epona and they were off.

Their trip back was almost two quiet. After Link defeated Ganondorf almost a year ago, the forest was no longer infested with blue goblins or other dangerous creatures. Although Link wasn't quite sure what he hoped to accomplish with man eating plants, or where he got seeds to plant them. At least the children were free to roam the forest without their parents having to constantly worry where they were. Hyrule was once again a pleasant place.

"So how's Colin doing with his sword training?" Link asked trying to make some sort of small talk. "I haven't seen him for a while." This statement was weird because Colin practically worshipped him.

"I'm not surprised." Rusl shook his head. "He's been doing almost nothing but practicing. He's trying to grow up too fast, all the children are!" Now that he mentioned it, since he got back Link noticed the children weren't as clingy as they used to be. "I think that time they spent in Kakariko really changed them."

While Link was trying to save both Hyrule and the Twilight realm from the evil clutches of Ganondorf, going through long dungeons filled with complicated puzzles to do so, the children were facing their own problems. Some goblins decided to kidnap them and take them to Kakariko. At the time, the small village was covered in Twilight and shadow beasts were pacing through town, keeping the villagers in line. However, when the villagers went to investigate, half of them were wiped out. The children hid with the few survivors; Renado, his daughter, and Barnes.

Once light returned to the area, the children were free to move about outside. Beth thought it fun to stand in the middle of the street. This act almost got her run over if Colin hadn't pushed her out of the way. Too bad it was the same fat goblin the kidnapped them, so they took Colin again and decided to put him on a stick. (Me:heheheh Colin Kebob) Thankfully Link arrived in the nick of time, like some kind of movie, and saved him. It was then that each of the children learned a lesson and decided to grow up.

Colin decided to be stronger, Malo decided to open a store called Malo Mart (very original), and Talo decided to be a lookout and scream "monster" whenever Link walked into town in his wolf form. 'The kid needs to learn the difference between monsters and animals, 'Link thought 'Although it might've been Midna on my back that made me look weird.' Then there was Beth who decided to help the Zora boy, Prince Ralis.

"Well, I'll see you later Link" Rusl said once they were back.

"Yeah, see you," Link climbed the ladder up to his tree house type home. He was lost in the memories of his adventure. The pain, the hardship, and the just plain bitchy people. There were also the good things. The rush, the glory, the new friends. He missed it, Midna most of all. Her stuck-up attitude and rude remarks got on his nerves, also the being used just to save her people. However, she really was a big help, no matter how much Link didn't want to admit it. Plus, she was there throughout his adventure, keeping him company and giving him advice. She really was a good friend.

'Well,' Link thought. 'It may have been a pain in the butt, but I can honestly say I've never had so much fun. Besides what do I do here?' He decided. 'If I could, I'd do it all again.'

"Yo! Link!" called Fado the next morning. "You think you could help me with the goats?! They ain't listening to me!"

'Damn it Fado! The goats never listen to you! Why do you even try?' Link struggled out of bed and over to the window. "Yeah, I'll be right down… Why are you rounding the goats anyway?"

"I decided to let them out last night,"

"…"

"Whaaatt??!!!!"

"What happened to your eye?"

"They ran me over…" Link burst out laughing. It didn't surprise him at all. "Hey!!! It's not funny! Where's Epona anyway?"

Link stopped his laughing. "Not again," he groaned. 'Damn it Ilia, takin' my horse without permission!' She seemed to be "washing Epona" a lot lately. Yeah right. How dirty could one horse possibly be?! 'Probably thinks I can't take care of my own horse!'

He stumbled his way down the first ladder. He was tired from the lack of sleep he'd been getting lately. Battling strange creatures gives you nightmares. Halfway down the second ladder, he tripped and landed on his butt. "Ow!"

"Link! Are you okay?" Talo asked, running over to him.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Hey, wait a minute. "Talo!" he got to his feet. "What the heck are you doing in my house?!"

"Well, I thought you'd be up by now…. Anyway, we were hoping you'd tell us about that battle again. You know the one with the bone guy?"

"Stallord," Malo corrected. For a shrimp, he sure thinks he's hot stuff.

"Yeah, that one. Please Link, please?"

Link sighed. The villagers always seemed to be asking about his adventures, especially when he first came back. He'd probably told the story a million times, and that's not an exaggeration. Of course, the stories were edited to not contain anything too freaky. Things such as poes and zombies were taken out. He also didn't tell them anything about him turning into a wolf or Midna being along for the ride. He didn't want to embarrass either of them like that. "No, maybe later. I have to reclaim my horse and round up the goats for Fado."

"Ilia took your horse again, huh?" commented Malo. Geez, even the kids knew about his horse issues. Link nodded.

"Alright, later then. But don't forget!" Talo agreed. So they all filed one by one out of the house. The boys went off to play with their toy swords while Link headed toward the spirit's spring.

Sure enough, there was Ilia standing with Epona. "Oh, hi Link," she began. He knew what she's say next.

"Cut the crap Ilia," he was getting annoyed with the people bugging him today. "Tell me what's really going on here."

She looked down at the shallow water guiltily. "You've just been so distant lately. We never talk much anymore." They were silent for a while before she continued. "I realize that you were just on a life changing experience and everyone has been bothering you lately."

'You have no clue how true that is,' he thought.

She sighed. "I guess I just thought that things would go back to normal… and you and I….." she struggled to get the last words out.

"I'm sorry," he said before she could finish. "I don't even know what's wrong with me. I must've gotten too used to that life and, well, I miss it. I'm sorry I haven't talked to you much lately, I've just been dealing with a lot."

"Damn, I don't think I've ever heard you say that much."

'I know that voice…." Link thought. Meanwhile, Ilia was trying to find the source of the voice. "Ilia! Ru…" but he was cut off when a shadow being fell on top of him. He was being held to the ground by its hand just so that his head stuck up out of the water.

"Link! Ilia screamed.

"Sorry to interrupt your emotional moment, but I have plans that I need to set in motion," and there was Zant, standing between the two of them.

"Zant, how the hell are you still alive?!"

"Zant?" Ilia gasped. She'd heard enough of Link's stories to know who that was. Now that she looked at him, he fit Link's description of him. He was inhumanly tall, dressed in a black robe with turquoise patters, and wore a fishlike mask. He was even creepier in real life!

"I've saved that story for a different meeting. There's other business I need to attend to right now." He remarked confidently.

"Oh yeah? Like what?"

"Well…." He waved his hand by Ilia and suddenly a strange bubble surrounded her. She immediately began feeling for a way out. "Now that I have your girlfriend, I have to take over the Twilight."

Link was shocked. After defeating Ganondorf, Midna destroyed the Mirror of Twilight, which was the only link between the two worlds. Then he realized it was possible, since Zant had died _in_ the Twilight realm. "Crap, Midna," he mumbled, realizing that she'd be in trouble now. He began struggling against the beast.

"Yeah, she's a target too," With that, he created a portal in the ground, much like Midna would do when they made it through a temple, and stepped inside. The bubble holding Ilia followed after it. She was yelling to Link for help, but her voice was muffled out by the bubble. Once she was gone, the shadow being on top of Link disappeared.

_Ugh._ Link struggled to get up. "Damn him," he growled through his teeth. He mounted Epona, who'd gotten used to the crazy creatures working for Zant and hadn't run away, and went to his house to get supplies. "Mark my words Zant, I _will_ stop you!..... and Ilia is not my girlfriend!"

Well, there be chapter 1. I hope you like it so far.  Oh, and sorry for the little interruption half-way through, I couldn't resist.


	3. Chapter 2 Street Urchin

Whoo!! Finally! I don't know how many of you were patiently waiting for this, but sorry it took so long. I meant to put this up a long time ago. I even shortened it! I'm hoping the other updates won't take as long. Heheheh… Anyway, enjoy Ch.2!

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It was a bright, sunny day in Hyrule Castle town. The townsfolk were going about their business as normal.

"'Afternoon Sora!" called a man from behind a cart. A young girl who's been walking down the road at the time stopped and faced him.

"Hi Marvin!" she called back. The girl wore beige rags in the form of a tunic for clothing. Her hair was orange, bright orange, and was just past her shoulder. Another strange thing about her appearance was the bandages that covered most of her left side, except for her neck and fingers which were a dark grey.

The girl, who obviously was Sora, walked over to the man's cart. "How's business today?"

Marvin owned one of the carts on the south end of town. He was in his late thirties and was wearing a dark blue vest and pants. "Pretty slow," he said, which was surprising. "Come back later, I'm sure I'll have something to give ya." Marvin usually gave Sora his leftover stock that would spoil if left another day, seeing she had no other way of getting food.

"Thanks, but you don't have to do that you know. I can fend for myself." She gave him a big grin to prove her point, but her stomach had other plans. _Grrraaauuhhh!_ o_0 … She laughed nervously.

"When was the last time you had something to eat?" he asked.

She thought about it for a minute. "Morning, yesterday."

"You need to stop acting so tough. You're not made of steel. Come back later, okay?"

She nodded.

"By the way, Bruno went into the tavern this morning. He'll probably be out of money soon so….." He was looking over by Telma's tavern and saw a rugged looking man get thrown out onto the street. "Well, speak of the devil…"

Sora turned to look, and there was Bruno. "Oh crap….. That's my cue to leave."

"Hee-_hic_-eey!" He stuttered, noticing Sora. The man was twenty-seven years older than her, but for some reason he found her attractive and constantly chased after her. She never exactly understood why. Her only explanation was because he was a drunk and he probably couldn't get another woman if he tried. He was the exact opposite of attractive, short and round, weird fuzzy mustache, ya get the picture.

The odd thing about Bruno was he was surprisingly fast. Even though Sora had a head start, he still caught up with her. 'Why didn't I run?' She thought as he grabbed hold of her arm.

"Hey b-_ay_-by! You ready yet?" What an idiot… how many times had she told him _no_ again?

"No! When will you realize that I never will be?!" She began tugging her arm away. Another weird thing about him was that he was pretty strong. Apparently he was a wrestler, until he became addicted to alcohol that is. She gave up trying to tug away and reached behind for her…"Shit!" she breathed, realizing she'd left her sword at home.

Rule # 1 when you're Sora, always be armed. You never know when something like this might happen.

"Heheheh," Bruno chuckled. "Forget your sword this time?" The arm which he now held her with still had scars from the last time. They'd been pretty deep and needed stitches. She'd been thrown in jail, not that she wasn't already used to that. Being poor, you gotta take some risks…. and some things from stores.

He pulled her closer to him so he could get a good hold on her. Then he'd drag her off to be…

"Oww!" She'd bit him. He immediately let go after he felt her teeth sink into the skin of his hand. "Damned street urchin!"

"Yeah, like you have a right to call me names!" Sora remarked, spitting out the horrible taste in his hand. "Why do you insist on having _me_ anyway? There are plenty of prostitutes around town that would gladly take your cash."

"None of them turned me on as you… do baby?" he grabbed her hand again. Great, now he was turning statements into questions.

Something suddenly clicked in Sora's brain. If _none _of them turned him on as much… Oh Goddesses, that means he'd been with every one of them!

"Ah!" she exclaimed, pulling her arm away. "Away from me herpes lord!" She ran out the southern gate, hoping the guards there would help.

"Damn it! Where'd those stupid guards go??!!!" She'd looked everywhere, but not a guard in sight. Man, those guys couldn't save a cat from a tree.

Bruno came up from behind her, chuckling. "Guess it's just you and me now. Luckily, no one's going to try and stop me. You're just a street urchin. What do they care?"

As sick as it sounded, he was right. She, stupidly, forgot her weapon when she walked by the tavern, but she could handle herself without it. The truth was that, on the slight chance he did get to her, no one would help. She was the town freak with the weird skin and no parents. Literally, no parents! One day, she just found herself in castle town with nothing but a name.

Sora clenched her teeth as he, once again, grabbed for her bandaged left arm. Knowing the guards, they'll probably come just in time to see Bruno's ass get kicked. It was worth getting arrested for. She side-kicked (I don't have a better name for it) him, causing him to trip. They both fell to the ground. She wriggled herself free and kicked his stomach before he had a chance to get up.

A passer-byer had noticed their scuffle and came to see what it was about. "Impressive," he said. "I think you knocked him out." Sora didn't recognize the man. He was dressed in all black along with his hair which was combed down nicely. He must've had money.

"That's mostly because he's intoxicated. He's been drinking all morning. Who are you anyway?"

"I think a better question would be, 'who are you?'"

Sora put a hand on her face. "Don't go all proverbial on me! I don't need a psychiatrist!" She said annoyed. Then she held out the hand on her face. "My name is Sora."

"I know that," he said, ignoring her hand.

"Okay, now you're getting on my nerves!" she dropped her hand and decided to give up on having a conversation. It was just a simple question! "Wait…. How do _you_ know that?!"

"I am Zant," he said, finally answering the first question. She felt like smacking herself in the face. Or smacking him, which would be a hundred times better!

Bruno began mumbling something about another drink. 'What an idiot.' Sora thought. 'Even passed out, liquor is all he thinks about.'

"Do you want him gone?" Zant asked coolly.

Sora looked at him like he was crazy. "No! I want him to rape me," she said sarcastically. "Yes I want him gone fool!"

"Imagine him gone,"

"What?! What the hell is that gonna do?" she yelled. Although she couldn't help but picture it, a world without him chasing her. That would be nice.

Bruno regained consciousness and got to his feet. "Just ignore him b-aby." He grabbed for her again only this time, she grabbed his arm instead.

"Damn it! Leave me alone!" She began to flip him onto his back, but something happened. He wasn't there anymore. Instead, there were a bunch of little dust particles.

"What the hell?" she whispered. She was totally confused by what just happened. Where's her punching bag go?

"Not bad. You managed to disintegrate him." Zant mused. "He must've been pretty weak. Usually it takes years of training to master it. Most just think it's a waste of time."

Sora was even more confused. "Wait… what?! I disintegrated him?! That's not possible…" Then she realized that it _would _explain the black specks. "_Damn!_"

She wasn't quite sure what she should be feeling right now. She just went beyond killing someone, she'd _disintegrated_ him. Then again, the man had tried to rape her and had no value to anyone. There was also the fact that she now had some sort of power that she knew nothing about. So her heart and head were all up in knots trying to decide what message to send off.

I told you I know who you are. Even more than you do, in fact." Wow, he was actually being strait forward for once. "Sora, it's time you learned about you powers."

Sora thought about it for a minute. Having powers would definitely come in handy. There was just one problem. "How come I never knew about these powers before? Does it…..have something to do with my amnesia nine years ago? You know about that right?" This could be the perfect chance to learn about her past. It would be nice to know about her family, if she even had one.

"It has everything to do with that actually. Your memory was erased so you would know nothing about us, or the connection we have with you."

"Who's "us"?" She asked. "Or who I'm not supposed to know about?"

"The twili," he answered. Then he made a motion with his hand and a portal appeared on the ground. "Step on here and I'll explain later. I'm in disguise right now."

Sora took a big breath before following his directions. She was worried, she didn't even know this man. She realized that the south gate was disappearing. 'Oh crap. What's happening?!'

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Thanks for reading! Rate and review and stuff. Even if it sucks, I need to know!


	4. Chapter 3 Façade

A small gust of wind picked up some sand and carried it along. A couple grains got into Sora's eye and she rubbed them out.

They were in the Gerudo Desert in the center of some kind of coliseum. Everything was the same sandy color except for a broken ornament in the middle.

Sora realized that the figure next to her wasn't the man she met in Castle Town. He was in some kind of fancy robe and fish-like mask…. Was it a mask?

"I'm guessing thins is your true form then Zant?" she asked.

The figure nodded. "That's right." Yep, a mask. "You might've already guessed that I one of the twili I told you about."

"Okay, so where are we anyway? And why did you bring me here?"

He thought about how to explain. "Let me start from the beginning," he said.

'Great,' Sora thought. 'I thought he was gonna give me strait forward answers now.'

"I assume you know the story of Hyrule was created?" She gave him a nod and he continued. "Well, the twili were originally descended from a group of Hylians that decided to use their magic for evil. The goddesses were angered by this and banished them to the Twilight Realm."

"So if they were banished…. Why are _you_ here?" For some reason, the news of an alternate world didn't bother her.

"I told you, I've come to teach you about your powers. As for how, there's a portal between the two worlds called the Mirror of Twilight."

Sora thought for a minute. "So you were in disguise because you were banished from Hyrule?" she asked, trying to get everything strait in her head.

"Partly. I've been to the light world, that's Hyrule, before. I was in disguise because the guards are on the lookout for any twili. They don't trust us after one of us tried to take over a few months ago. Someone must've tipped them off that I was here."

A couple months ago, when all the weird stuff was happening? Sora knew something weird was happening, what with the weird color of her skin, the weird objects in the sky, and all the monsters everywhere, but she never would've thought someone was trying to take over Hyrule. Okay, so she wasn't that smart. It was kind of obvious.

"How come I've never heard of you before, I mean the Twilight. And how does this tie into my powers?"

"I would get there if you wouldn't have so many questions…"

Sora made a face.

"You've never heard of the twili because it was erased from your memory. We're also not very well known in your world of light because we don't usually come here. We were banished, remember?" Zant took a deep breath. Trying to explain this to someone with a thick skull….

"As for your powers, they're powers of the twili. Half of your blood is the blood of our ancestors. "

"So wait….. I'm…. half-twili?!" she asked.

Zant nodded. "Remove the bandages from you left arm. You shall see what I mean."

She did, and realized it was the same skin as Zant's. She _was_ part twili. "Oh my God..." She continued to gaze at her strange skin, never before this hypnotized by it. It had a purpose now.

"How'd this happen?" she asked.

"How do you think? Your mother was Hylian and your father was a twili. As for why your memory being erased, since I know you're going to ask, you were banished from the Twilight because some idiots thought you were worthless and a freak. They erased your memory so you would never know. Your father died soon after and your mother died after you were born."

Zant gave her a minute to let it all sink in. She knew, now, what had been taken from her, all the memories that had been lost. The only thing she wanted now was to remember them. At least she knew why.

"Now," Zant continued after a minute. "Do you remember what I said about the Mirror of Twilight?"

Sora nodded.

He pointed to the broken ornament in the center. "Well there it is. It's been broken to keep anyone from going in and out of the Twilight Realm. This was done for safety, of course, but now I'm kind of stuck here. So can you fix it?"

"Fix it?! I just learned about my powers! I don't even know how! Why can't you?"

Zant sighed, luckily he had an excuse. "This is part of your training. I'll talk you through it."

Sora was reluctant, but climbed up onto the platform it was situated on. The mirror was absolutely shattered, not a piece of it anywhere on the ground. How was she supposed to do this?

She examined in closely. Only the bottom part of the frame was left. She was feeling around it when something suddenly happened. She was no longer looking at a broken mirror but she seemed to be looking at a portal. 'What's happening?'

It was then that she realized her hands were bound together. She turned around and realized she was no longer in the desert. Everything was dark; the ground, the sky, everything! 'Where am I?' Then she noticed the two twili standing behind her. They were so tall!

"Go on Sora," one of them said. His voice seemed to be muffled. More importantly, they knew who she was. What was going on?

They pushed her through the portal. She landed on her knees on the other side and found herself back in the desert. This time, though, everything seemed bigger. The two twili came up behind and lifted her off the ground. For some reason, she was crying.

"Why?!" she mumbled to one of them. Something was wrong, she didn't do this. This wasn't even her voice it was the voice of a child. The one she talked to said nothing. His expression was completely blank.

"Calm down, this won't hurt," the other one said. He held out his hand and it turned a purple color. He placed the hand on Sora's forehead. "Not that anyone remembers anyway," he chuckled. Suddenly, everything went blank.

…

Gasping, Sora quickly pulled her hand away from the mirror's frame. She was back where she was before. She was glad to see she was once again in control of her actions and everything was back to its normal size. .'What the hell just happened?'

"Did you see it?" Zant asked, anticipation rising in his voice.

"What're you talking…" she realized what he meant. She'd seen the mirror when she had that weird vision. At least, she was pretty sure that was it. "Yeah, I saw it."

"Good. Can you picture it in your mind? Then go and touch the mirror again."

Sora looked at him as though he was crazy. "I'm not touching that thing again! Weird things happened last time!"

Zant said nothing, so she figured there was no other way. She reached for the mirrors frame again, bracing herself for something weird to happen, but nothing did. She gave a huge sigh of relief.

'Good, no strange visions of people that know my name.' She thought. 'Now, the mirror, what did it look like?' The vision replayed in her mind again until she knew every crack and detail. She focused on that image until a blinding light slowly appeared in the center of the frame.

Zant was chuckling in the back round. Everything was going according to plan. The girl was making this go almost too easy.

Sora closed her eyes as the light before her got too bright. What did light have to do with fixing a mirror anyway?

Then, all at once, the light quickly faded away and Sora was knocked backwards with some form of a _whoosh!_ She looked up to see the mirror of twilight, in all its elegant beauty, standing before her. She'd done it, although it hadn't seen like she'd done anything.

"Oh yeah! Score one for Sora!" she shouted, getting to her feet and raising her arms. It was only then she realized that she'd lost some energy.

By now, Zant's chuckling had become full blown laughter. It sounded dark and sinister, like _Bwahahahaha! _

"Okay, what's so funny over there?"

"You are, my dear girl. You actually believed and fell for this!" He made a circular motion with his hand, trapping Sora in a silvery bubble that was only big enough for her to kneel. "I really must thank you though. I never would've gotten into the twilight without your help."

Sora was struggling against the confines of her bubble. It was as thin as a normal bubble, but it wouldn't pop no matter how hard she tried. "So," She began, panting. "This whole thing was a lie? A setup?"

"Just a setup. Everything I told you was true except I couldn't have fixed the mirror. That's why I needed you." Something small came floating out from behind him. It got bigger until Sora finally realized it was another girl who was also trapped in a bubble. "By the way, this is my other prisoner. She'll be tagging along with us into the twilight."

"To do what?" Sora asked, angrily.

"To take over, that's what."

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Reviews? Please? Seriously, I need some so I can fix what I did wrong! I want you guys to enjoy it!


	5. Chapter 4 Dreams and Nightmares

Whoo-hoo! Chapter 4! It took me a while to realize I've been forgetting something important. Even though it should be totally obvious, seeing as this is _fan_fiction, I brought Sora in to do the disclaimer!

Sora: Yay! I get to do something!!! I feel so important for once in my life!

Yeah yeah yeah...

Sora: Okay, the author does not own Legend of Zelda, Nintendo, or anything else affiliated with these things. In fact I'm about the only things she owns in this entire story, but she's still not cool enough to own that…

T-T

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Everything was hazy, yet familiar. Somehow, nothing made sense. "Why…" mumbled a much younger version of Midna. Her short red hair was tied back into a ponytail, as usual. She and her father were standing in front of the portal to the light world, A.K.A the Mirror of Twilight. "Why didn't you stop them?" It was taking everything she had to keep tears from spilling out of her eyes. The young girls face suddenly twisted in anger. "I promised her you'd protect her with your life! Why didn't you?!"

Her father said nothing; he just stared blankly at the portal before them. Midna had to focus on clenching her hands to keep from screaming at him. It was a while before he finally spoke.

"I did the best I could," he said blankly. "It's better this way than having her killed off."

"Better?! She could die anyway! You let them throw her into some strange world where there's no one to take care of her! She's only seven!!!" She was starting to become royally pissed off. How could her father do something _this_ stupid?

"What do you care anyway?!" he fought back. "You never once cared about her and you were jealous too!"

Finally, she let her tears go. How could he hurt her like this? Why had he turned into such a bitch lately? Not to mention every word he said was true. Midna never treated her sister like she should have, even if she was the favorite. "Go to hell..."

…

The Princess of Twilight groaned and rolled over in her bed. Why in the world did her subconscious think she needed to show her that again? It'd been nine years; you'd think she would've gotten over it by now.

She forced herself out of her warm, familiar bed to face the day. This proved more difficult than she thought. Her memories and dreams kept her awake at night. She'd already gone through this once after her separation from Link, whom she missed dearly. "Apparently I'm not allowed to get a decent night's sleep anymore," she groaned, wrapping herself up in her robe.

There was a knock at her door and a young woman stepped in. She jumped a little when she saw Midna standing in the middle of the room.

"Good morning princess," she gave her a slight bow. "I didn't expect you to be up yet."

Midna sighed. "I had one of those dreams again," she replied, too tired for sarcasm at the moment, or to rat her out for not waiting for a response after nodding. "So, Twila, I'm guessing you came to get me for a council meeting?"

Twila put a hand to her chin in thought. "Do you think it's some sort of sign?" she asked, completely ignoring Midna's question. "Like… she's alive and you're going to see her again?"

"I highly doubt that. There's no possible way I could see her. She's trapped in the Light world, remember?"

"But still…. Didn't you say that she could fix the mirror?" She continued to think. "Maybe you should talk to some sort of historian or wise man? They could tell you your dreams mean."

"Twila…." The princess said, aggravated. "I don't want to talk to anyone. I just want to let this pass….." She walked passes her out into the hall. Her assistant followed.

"There must be something that triggered it," Twila pressed. "Can you think of anything? Loss, maybe?"

Midna's heart clenched a little as she thought of another friend who was trapped in the world of light. The twili next to her took notice of the hint of sadness in her expression. "You're thinking about Link aren't you?"

She said nothing. Upon returning from her adventure, the Princess had tried to hide her sadness from her people. Twila, who was with Midna constantly trying to keep her on task, noticed the little sadness that leaked through. She'd bothered Midna until she finally caved and told her about the trip. The princess felt better afterwards, like she had a friend, someone to talk to. That was about the time the dreams started.

Twila giggled a little. "I still think you're in love with him." She teased.

"I regret ever telling you." Midna glared at her assistant.

"I'm kidding, jeez. That would be absurd! A twili and a hylian falling in love?!" They continued walking down the hall in silence. As they walked, Midna couldn't help but think that it was the story of her life.

…

_Ugh! Do these guys ever shut up?!_ The council member had been arguing about the same topic for over an hour. _They just keep going and going and never reach an agreement!_ The princess had lost all interest in their argument and was playing idly with her pen. She noticed Twila, who was on the other side of the room, was totally engaged and taking notes. She rolled her eyes.

Her mind began to wander elsewhere until she found herself in the fields of Hyrule. There was a time she never would've given them a second thought, but they seemed to control her mind lately. Meeting Link had changed her somehow. He was the first to ever treat her like a real person, despite everything she'd done. Her heart clenched again, like someone was holding it. She suddenly regretted everything she'd ever done to him, including breaking the mirror. _Maybe Twila was right…maybe I do…Whoa! What are you thinking?!_ The princess shook the thoughts from her head. _Sometimes I just want to take my brain out and sta..._

"Council!!!" the doors to the meeting room flung open and one of the royal guards stepped inside. "Forgive me for interrupting, but there's been a prison break!"

"A prison break?" Ramus, the one on the right of Midna, questioned. "That's impossible! No one has ever escaped from that prison before!"

"Everyone escaped, sir. It's pure chaos!" The guard continued.

_Damn it!_ "Send out all available personnel! I want them found, especially Zaphias!" Midna commanded.

"Yes ma'am!" the sentry bowed and exited the room. Midna stood up and followed, determined to fix this problem. It took immense power to break out of the prison walls, and she was going to find whoever was responsible.

"Midna wait!" Twila had to run to catch up with her. "You're not going out there are you? There are hundreds of criminals loose in the streets right now, are you crazy?"

The princess sighed. "You should know better than anybody that I'm not the kind of person that just stands by when hell brakes loose."

"But..." Twila knew she wasn't going to get anywhere. Once Midna set her heart to something she didn't stop. "Alright, just be careful..."

…

_My life just gets better all the time. I get rid of one psychopath and run into a complete maniac! _Sora didn't know how long she'd been trapped in the bubble but every second she was it felt like the bubble got smaller. She wanted out! She wanted to help these poor people being attacked by the maniac and his new army of prisoners but all she could do was watch while this alternate world was slowly being destroyed. Buildings were burning, civilians were either being attacked or turned into dark creatures that looked like squids and everything else was just pure chaos.

Ilia, her prison mate, was just horrified. She'd first been afraid of the race that Zant had called Twili, what with their dark skin and strange marks, but she felt sorry for them now. She'd never even imagined so much destruction before. "Sora!" she screeched, pointing at something out in the chaos.

As it turned out, some of the criminals had gotten a little carried away and started killing despite Zant's orders to strike fear only. They'd started piling some of the dead bodies on top of one another. The girls silently thanked the goddesses that it was far enough that they couldn't make out little details. After piling on another body, one of the criminals proceeded to light them on fire.

"Oh god..." Ilia doubled over, looking like she was going to sick. Sora heard her start sobbing too, but she knew nothing she said was going to help. This was just nuts!

"Isn't this beautiful?" Zant asked in a mocking tone.

"No!" Sora retorted. "You're either crazy or that stupid fish mask of yours distorts your vision. Let me tell you, I'm leaning towards the first one!"

"Okay, they're a little carried away right now, but things will get better. In fact…" He noticed the one he'd been waiting for come out of the palace. She scowled as she surveyed everything. _Heheheh this will be fun…_ "Well if it isn't the guest of honor, Princess Midna," he spoke louder now so that she might hear.

The scowl immediately vanished from her face as she recognized the voice. She looked in that direction and her fears were confirmed. There stood Zant in front of two giant bubbles. Her heart sank even lower once she recognized the girls inside of them. _Man, I hate it when Twila's right!_ "Zant! What the hell is going on here?" Her voice contained more confusion then anger. Not to mention she was totally shocked.

"Why it's exactly what it looks like dear Midna. I'm back from the dead to overthrow you… _again_."

Midna regained her composure. "I defeated you once, I can defeat you again," she said throwing a ball of shadow magic at him.

He simply lifted his hand and it disappeared. "This time's different." Suddenly he was right in front of her. "I'm stronger." He flicked his hand to the right like he was going to slap her, but instead she went flying in that direction.

The princess landed with an "oof". _Damnit! How'd he do that? I've never heard of anything like this! _

He appeared next to her again. "Let me let you in on a little secret." He lifted her by her neck and whispered in her ear. "It was all part of plan…"

Sora watched as he once again tossed the princess across the ground. A couple of the convicts were snickering as they watched. _I have to do something... I have to get out of here! Think, Sora! Think!_ She remember how she'd fixed the mirror, maybe the rest of her powers worked the same way. She focused hard on the bubble popping. "Ilia… I promise I'll come back for you later."

"What're you talking about?" The farm girl questioned, but she soon learned when Sora's bubble suddenly dissipated. She was totally in shock.

_Alright what now?_ She started scanning her surroundings and saw Zant standing over Midna ready to fire a shot of dark magic at her. Without thinking, she fired her own ball of magic at him.

"Is that the best you can do _Princess_?" He asked mockingly. That's when something hit him. He turned in the direction it came from and found none other than Sora, looking somewhere between confused and shocked. "Irritating little half-breed!" He spat firing the magic he'd been saving for Midna.

She rolled off to the side to avoid the attack. "That's a new one. I've been called virtually everything, but never 'half-breed'." She clapped her hands in mock congratulation.

Midna chuckled, thinking that'd that was probably something she would say. Zant, on the other hand was not impressed. "I'll teach you to make fun of me!" He started floating a little and created a really large ball of shadow magic over his head.

"Oh shit…" Sora mumbled. _How the hell am I supposed to avoid that?!_ But somehow she did and managed to avoid dozens of other random attacks by Zant as well. She eventually made her way over to Midna and began dragging the princess by her arm. Without thinking, she managed to create a small portal, like the one Zant had made earlier, and get both of them out of there.

Zant stopped his firing and did something totally unexpected. He started laughing… evilly. "Heheheh ha BWAHAHAHAHA!!!"

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

A/N: Has Zant officially lost his mind? Oh wait, too late for that….

Anyway… Rate and Review!


	6. Chapter 5 Escape

~FINALLY! AN UPDATE!!!... AND MONSTER!!! *Dances and sings monster by Skillet*

Sora: That's it! No more energy drinks while typing for you!

~No!!!! My Monster!!!!! Besides, this took me two and a half hours!!! *chug* heheheheheh!!!!

Sora: When did you become crazier than me?

~*singing* 15 beers ago!

Sora: Alrighty then. Since the authors gone crazy, I guess I have to take care of this. She doesn't own LoZ or anything related to that, the band Skillet, monster energy drinks, and the song 15 beers ago belongs to Deaf Pedestrians. I'd also like to apologize for her behavior and her poor attempt at humor…

~*singing* Cocaine, heroine, alcohol, and vicodin. This is my addiction, you're my addiction!

Sora: And that song belongs to Dope. She's also not trying to promote use, so don't go tryin that stuff. On a final note, this chapter contains a lot of she's and her's so if you get confused you can message the writer and she'll get back hopefully when she's not high on monster. Anyway, enjoy Ch. 5

* * *

The next thing Midna knew, she was surrounded by a blinding light and her face was in the dirt. _Wait… blinding _light? She bolted up to find her suspicions confirmed, she was in Hyrule. A thousand questions popped into her head all at once. What happened? How did she get there? How would she get back? And now that she was here, would Link even want to see her? Would help save her world _again_?

All these questions, plus Zant throwing her around like a ragdoll, were starting to give her a headache. So much had happened in the short time that had been her day and she just wanted relax for a minute. She knew that it was far from over.

"Whoo!!!" Sora got up, spitting dirt from her mouth. "That was awesome! And look, Castle Town, just like I planned."

"Except for the fact that we ended up upside down."

She winked. "Yeah, but I still saved your butt."

Midna was becoming more irritated, more than she already was anyway. _I really need to be careful what I wish for…_ She crossed her arms to make her look more intimidating. "I'm a princess! You better treat me with some respect or I'll have you put to death, Sora."

Sora was confused for a minute, but her questioning expression soon changed to a confident smile. "Yeah, but I have a feeling that you won't be able to."

"What makes you say that?" She hissed.

"For one, _your _kingdom is under attack and you have more important things to worry about. Plus, you obviously know me from somewhere."

The Twilight Princess froze and her eyes widened. _What is she talking about? She couldn't possibly remember, could she?_ No, there was no possible way! Maybe Zant told her? How much _had _he told her anyway?

Noticing the shocked expression on her face, Sora explained; "I never told you my name."

This didn't help Midna's position at all. She supposed the girl would want an explanation. She probably wanted to know who her parents were and about where she came from, why Midna knew her. This was a girl who suffered from amnesia, there was definitely going to be questions.

But much to her surprise, she remained quiet. Seriousness replaced the playful look she had earlier. Definitely something she hadn't expected. What happened to the big mouth she'd been a minute ago? "Don't you want to know what's going on?" Midna asked.

Sora shook her head. "Of course I want to know. It's just that there are more important things going on right now Princess. Your world is in danger from a mad man wearing a fish mask and I don't know how to get back!" She looked off to the side, where Castle Town sat not far away. "The Twilight was my world once too. Now it's my fault that it's in danger." She now looked to the ground, clenching her fists. "I fixed the Mirror. I fell for his stupid tricks."

Midna shook her head and put a hand on Sora's shaking shoulder. As mad as she should be right now, all she felt was pity for this girl. How was she supposed to know? "I don't blame you for falling for his tricks. Anyone else would've done the same. Besides, there's nothing you can do now."

"There's one difference. Only _I_ could've fixed that mirror. I could've stopped this before it started." She shrugged off Midna's hand. Determination now burned in her eyes. "I'm going to fix this I promise. C'mon." She led the princess through the field to the eastern castle town entrance before turning back to her.

"I think Princess Zelda would be able to help us, but the guards are apparently jumpy when it comes to twili."

"Did Zant tell you that?" Midna asked, curious how she would come up with such an idea. Then again, it shouldn't surprise her.

Sora nodded, now doubting him herself. Zant was crazy, why should she believe anything he said? _Because he saved me…_ She shook those thoughts away, trying to remember that he was _killing_ people right _now_. He deserved to be hated. "Well, we should be cautious anyway. The goddesses only know how everyone will react to you…"

Midna smacked her upside the head and entered the town, making Sora run to catch up to her. The princess knew her way to the castle very well. She'd watch curiously from her hiding place as Link made his way past hordes of people, or laugh manically as those same people ran in fear when he was a wolf. Today, she just gave everyone death glares. How dare they look at her with wide eyes as if she had horns growing out of her head! Sora pulled her into an alley before she reached the square.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?!"

"What _I'm _doing?" Sora countered. "What are _you_ doing? Didn't I just get done telling you to be careful?"

"Why should I listen to you?"

"Because I actually know this town, unlike you. Now just wait here for a minute while I scope the place out." She saw Midna stick her tongue just as she turned to go back into the street. For some reason this made her smile. _Maybe because I've never had anyone to joke with before._

Her smile faded, though, once she got to the square. There seemed to be guards at every corner. _Damn it! Don't they have anything better to do?_ That's when she recognized the knight standing on the corner near the castle gate. He was a young man, probably 26 or so, but had already been made a captain. Sora figured because he took his job _way_ too seriously. It was his troop that stood guard now throughout the town. She knew he had a bad temper and if he decided to attack, they would be right as his heels. This is how she came up with her plan.

He'd noticed her as soon as she entered the area. How could he _not_? She stuck out like a sore thumb with her rags and bluish-grey skin. That little street rat always managed to get herself into trouble and caused more work for him. She was unarmed today, maybe he could rough her up a bit. _Not here,_ he told himself, _there're too many people and you have a job to do. _So he worked on ignoring her, but it became incredibly hard when she walked up and began talking to him.

"Hey, Captain Ben!" Sora saluted him. "How's life?"

"Wouldn't you like to know…" He growled between clenched teeth.

She carried on like it was just a normal conversation. "That bad, huh?"

"It's none of your business."

She began picking dirt out of her nails like she cared what they looked like. "I understand. I wouldn't want to talk about it either if my wife left me for that guy. Err… Shad, wasn't it?"

Why did she know so much about his personal life?! He went back to his original plan of ignoring her, but that didn't help his temper. So he tried counting in his head, which everyone says helps when you're angry. _1…2…3…_

"There's one thing I don't understand though," she looked back up at him now. She was about a head or so shorter than him, so this was literally looking _up_.

The counting wasn't helping. Every time she talked it was like a buzzing in his ear._ 4..5..6.._

"I understand why she left you," she gave him an almost evil grin now.

_7.8.9._

"But I don't understand why she chose you in the first place."

That was it! Ben grabbed her and threw her up against a nearby wall. He then pulled out his sword and held it up to her neck. "I'm. Gonna. Kill you." A couple people nearby and some of the guards noticed what was going on and were now watching. Some even wished he'd slit her throat so they'd be rid of her once and for all.

Sora smirked. Her plan was working so far. There was just one more thing to take care of, but not before tormenting him some more. "You're forgetting that I still have one important weapon."

"Oh yeah? Bring it!"

She shrugged, then kneed him hard right between the legs. He squeaked in pain before crumpling to the ground. "You would've thought they'd have more protection in that area." She said, stepping over him. The other guards were after her now, but were incredibly slow. She broke into a run and easily avoided two guards that tried to grab her as she sang; "Agility!" (Yeah, don't ask…)

Midna was waiting impatiently back in the alley, which just happened to be a dead end, where she'd left her. "What've you been doing?" She asked, noticing Sora was breathing heavily.

"Angering guards."

"What?!"

"We're gonna get arrested."

"Are you mad?!"

"The prison is in the castle," Sora explained. "It's the easiest way to get in there."

"Or we could walk right through the front door!"

Sora shook her head. Midna had no idea what kind of life she lived. There was absolutely no way she'd be able to get in of her own free will.

Four of the guards finally found them in the alley. Midna struggled against the two that grabbed her, but Sora glared at her and she stopped. She wasn't very happy about having to be thrown jail, but for some reason she couldn't bring herself to argue with Sora. Maybe it was the determined look on her face, but she seemed to know what she was doing.

After they were retrained and handcuffed, Captain Ben came up followed by a few other guards. He'd removed his helmet now and looked at what his troops captured, smirking. He had blonde hair and wasn't bad looking. "Looks like our favorite little outcast found a friend. Looks like a twili too." She then looked directly at Sora, who was glaring back. "Make sure they're locked up nice and tight." He instructed. Then, right before he left, he spit in Sora's face.

* * *

The two girls were dragged down into the small hall they called a jail. It wasn't very big and held nobody, but it had a very depressing atmosphere. Despite the fact it was underground, the room still managed to drip water and they passed at least two rats.

They shoved Sora in the cell first and her head hit the stone floor. Midna was merely pushed in causing her only to stumble. After casting nasty glances at Sora, the guards went back to their duties, leaving only the two girls alone with the rats.

"Yeah, great plan Sora." Midna scoffed, looking at their little cell made up of stones and iron bars.

"Will ya shut up and help me?" She struggled to her feet.

"What do you want me to do?"

"You think you could break my cuffs?" Sora turned around to show her.

"Sure, but it's gonna be a little difficult with me hands behind my back." She focused a little black ball of black and red magic in her hands and turned around so they'd be back to back. She then pulled her hands apart and Sora's cuffs broke apart.

She looked down at her now free hands. The shackles were still attached to her wrists, but she kind of liked them there. She then began digging through her hair until she found a tangled in bobby pin. _The oldest trick in the book… wherever this book is._ In fact, Midna rolled her eyes when she saw it, thinking the same thing.

After Midna was freed, which took several minutes of fiddling it in the keyhole before it finally opened, she went to go open the door with it.

"What're you doing?"

Sora turned, confused "Getting us out of here."

Midna shook her head. "That'll take forever! _I'll _do it." She prepared some magic and shot it at the door. The iron bars fell right out. She smiled triumphantly as Sora stared, amazed.

"Well… that saved us some time."

The two girls began to make their way back up to the actual castle until Sora stopped to look in a room filled with weapons and armor. She went in and took a spear. "Just in case."

"They're already mad at you. Why piss them off more?"

"Hey, it's not like I'm going to keep it. I promise it won't leave the castle."

It was a long way back up to the main area of the castle. The passage was filled with stairs and hallways to stall any escapes like this one.

"So Princess," Sora went on conversationally. "You said that you knew me. Mind explaining?"

Midna almost stopped in her tracks. She'd completely forgotten about that. What was she going to tell her? For some reason she liked it better without her knowing the truth. She'd promised to help, but what if she changed her mind after hearing what she had to say? Midna knew she'd probably end up hating her, after what she'd promised, all that she'd done. "Well… You're father was a twili and… and he was really good friends with my parents."

"Friends with royalty? Really?"

"Well, no. We were just nobles. My uncle was the King at that time, but he never had any children so…"

Sora nodded in understanding. "So, we were friends too?"

Midna now remained silent. The word "friends" never appeared in Midna's childhood unless it the word "no" in front of it. She shook her head.

"Who hated who?"

She didn't want to answer this time. It had been her that had done the hating as Sora had clung to her like some kind of monkey on a tree. She never stopped being nice to her no matter what Midna did. But now that she didn't remember, she could be the one to hate _her_.

The silence automatically registered in Sora's brain that she'd been that hated one. Instead of feeling hurt, however, she laughed. "I never fit in anywhere, do I?"

By now they'd reached the door that led into the main hall. Sora opened it to find it filled with at least ten guards.

Midna stood perfectly still as they all turned to look at the two in the doorway. "Got any other brilliant ideas?"

Sora also stood transfixed, looking at the now approaching guards. "Just run like hell."

* * *

Sora: Well, u know what to do peoples…. That's click the review button for those of u that are slow…

~ Stop insulting the few readers I have! D:

Sora: You're the one scaring them away with your craziness!

~ Oh yeah…. Across the road, not down the street!!!

Sora: Oh boy…


	7. Chapter 6 A New Task

~Update time!!! Yay, I'm excited for this chapter!

Sora: Why? It's not that great…

~Because I can finally start the plotline! Yay, plotline! Now my young padawan, please do the disclaimer so we can get on with the story!

Sora: Oh yeah! The writer/author person doesn't own LoZ, Star Wars, or anything else worth owning.

~ Thanks a lot…Anyway, I'm sorry I take so long. But I'm an _extremely_ slow typer (If that's even a word). For example, it took me about 3 hours top type about half of this when it's already written down on paper for me. I try to avoid three straight hours on the computer if I can help it.

Either way, enjoy Ch. 6!

* * *

Princess Zelda paced anxiously around the throne room. The triforce on her right hand had been acting up all day, yelling her of the approach of another triforce wielder. Seeing as only one other person had this Goddess given gift, it could only mean one thing… Link was coming for a visit.

She thought of them as friends, that he might come once in a while to chat. That's what friends do, right? But not once had she seen him since the events at the Mirror Chamber. She new he was hurt, but he couldn't have been grieving this whole time, could he have?

Sighing, she went to go look out the window. Why was his coming so important anyway? Was she really that obsessed? It was as if she was becoming one of those crazy fan girls that stood outside the game tent in town... How'd she know about that anyway?

Loud noises from the other side of the room distracted her from her random questions. She turned around quickly to see what it was. What she saw caused her mouth to drop about 7 inches. Midna, who was supposed to be trapped in her realm, was using magic on a small wooden door in the corner while another girl held it shut. Shouts from the knight could be heard coming from behind it.

"That's awesome!" Sora exclaimed, examining the now enchanted door. "You gotta teach me how to do that!"

"Nayru only knows what you'd do with that," Midna said, shaking her head.

"Fine, I'll just learn how to blow things up…"

"W…What's going on here?" Zelda asked, finally free from shock. (If that makes any sense…)

"Oh, hi Zelda," Midna said casually. "Didn't see you there."

"P-Princess Zelda?" Sora stammered nervously, realizing she'd just said she'd learn how to "blow things up" in front of the princess. This wasn't exactly the impression she'd wanted to make. She quickly dropped her spear.

Zelda looked from one to the other, trying to make sense of it. Midna, the mirror, this twili/hylian girl, what were they doing here anyway? "Midna… how…?"

"Actually, Sora," she pointed to indicate who, "Is the reason I'm here. I don't know how, but she was able to warp between worlds."

The princess looked at the girl, who was turning noticeably red on her right-side. "I remember you now."

_Oh shit…_Sora thought. _I'm dead. I know it. She's going to have me dragged back into the cell to await my sentence._

Instead, she smiled. "Well, things are starting to make sense now."

Sora stared at her, dumbfounded. She wasn't going to be dragged into a dungeon or hung from her ankles? That didn't make any sense. Why would the girl whose record was, literally, nothing but crimes be let go, just like that? "I…I don't…"

She didn't get to finish her sentence because Ben walked in. He took one look at her and drew his sword. "You! What do ya think you're doing here?! I apologize, Princess, I don't know how they got out but I assure you it won't happen again." Sora instinctively grabbed the spear at her feet and pointed it at him.

"Drop you weapon, Captain." Zelda commanded. "These two are my guests here."

"What?!" Sora and Ben exclaimed at the same time.

"You heard me. Now I suggest you leave before I allow her to use that spear." Everyone was surprised by this comment, but decided not to acknowledge it.

Ben grumbled and sheathed his sword. "Oh, yes. You have a visitor."

"Good. Send him in."

As Ben left, Sora turned and whispered to Midna. "You think you could put a sheet of ice under his feet?" She considered this request for a second before pointing to a spot on the floor. The two giggled as Ben slipped and fell on the ice. He turned to glare at Sora who just smiled and waved.

The visitor Ben mentioned was confused as to how his mood could change so quickly. It didn't help to notice who Zelda's other visitors were. So many emotions welled in him that he wasn't even sure what he was feeling. He didn't even know if this was real. Was he completely losing it?

He blinked a couple times, but she still stood there, hardly aware of his presence. He wanted to say something, to announce he was there, but his words were caught in his throat. He swallowed hard, not knowing what to say. Finally he spat something out: "M-Midna?!"

"Link!" she went over and hugged him. "It's good to see you again!"

"I-it's good t-to see you too," he stammered, confused by the sudden embrace. His arms hung in the air as if he didn't know what to do with them and his face grew pink. In the background, Sora could be heard mumbling "What the hell did I miss?" When she let go, he tried to hide his nervousness. "So, um, what're you doing here? I thought you broke the mirror."

"What?!" Sora yelled out suddenly. "_You_ broke the mirror?!"

Midna nodded. "Only the true ruler of the Twilight can do it."

"That stupid mirror is the source all my problems! It makes guys in fish masks do crazy things and puts random images in my head!"

"What does this have to do with anything?!"

"I don't know! I just didn't know you were the one who broke it and trapped Zant here! Now I have to blame you for dragging me through this!!" (okay, I was outta stuff to type… jeez)

"Zant?!" Zelda exclaimed. "But isn't he supposed to be dead?"

"DEAD?! Damn it, don't tell me I got tricked by a dead guy!!" Sora started wandering around the room on a random rampage, mumbling who knows what.

Link spoke now. "Actually, Princess, that's why I've come to see you. He managed to kidnap a girl from my village, one of my closest friends."

"You mean Ilia?" Sora asked suddenly from her rampage.

"You know her?"

She nodded. "Zant had held us captive together. I managed to escape in time to save Midna here." Midna glowered at her, like _she_ needed saving. "I'm guessing you're planning on finding her?"

He was in shock for a minute. _Save Midna? What had happened?_ Then he nodded, his eyes showing nothing but determination.

She smiled. "Good, because I'm coming with!"

This took everyone else in the room by surprise. They hadn't expected this, not by a long shot. Midna sighed. She'd hoped that Sora wouldn't be dragged any further into this mess. It was not longer her responsibility. Why couldn't those past six years alone have taught her to hate the world, to be heartless? _This girl has the thickest skull in history…_

"Are you sure you're up for that?" Link asked. "You don't know how dangerous Zant is."

Sora sighed, completely serious. "I've seen his power at work. It's horrible what he did to the Twilight, which is why I need to personally see to it that he forever burns in hell, or something much worse." She took a deep breath. "I recently learned that it's my homeland as much as it is any twili's. Despite the fact that they shunned me, I don't want to see it reduced to nothing, same goes for Hyrule. He's going to come here and do the exact same thing. I'm not going to let both my homes be destroyed while I just sit back and watch… Besides," her smile now returned. "I promised I'd come back for her."

They stood in silence, letting her long and touching speech sink in. She was willing to do this for the people who'd shunned and mocked her. She knew it was completely stupid, after all the times they'd hurt her, why should she do this? Because something inside her knew it was right. So she swallowed what was left of her pride and held out her hand.

"What do say, Link? Gonna help me do this or what?"

He seemed surprised at her offer, but took it anyway. What was he doing? Teaming up with some girl whose name he didn't even know. Yet, there was something about her character that told him she would be of big help.

"Hey, you're not gonna go on some big adventure without me now, are ya?" Midna teased, putting her arms around both their shoulders.

"Of course not!" Link answered a little too fast. He looked off nervously, realizing his mistake. "It wouldn't be the same without you…"

"Aww, that's sweet," Sora mocked. She received an elbow in the chest from both of them. "Ow… What did I do to you?!" She asked Midna.

Zelda had stood there quietly since her outburst from before. She was smiling. _Surely, this is not a coincidence_. She took the silence as her turn to have her say. "Well, I may not be able to travel with you at the moment, but I have something I think will come in handy."

…

_Of all the places to go in the castle,_ Sora thought, _she just _had _to pick the library._ It had nothing to do with the books; in fact the thought of books had often intrigued her. A bunch of words and pages complied together to make the world clearer, or send you off into another world entirely. Yet, growing up homeless, Sora lacked the education necessary for their magic to work. Here she was in the biggest and exclusive library in Hyrule, yet if she couldn't understand any of it, what was the point of being there at all?

So why were they here? Zelda had explained it all on the way. She said that she was currently in possession of the fused shadows, but the sages had hidden a few in different locations throughout Hyrule for safe keeping. All she knew was that they were hidden by the elements; earth, fire and water. Sora had no clue what the heck she was talking about, but it seemed important so she just went along with it.

The plan now was to figure out the sage's riddle. The first thing Zelda had done when they'd gotten there was dig out p huge pile of maps, which, of course, Sora couldn't read either. So she'd wandered off into the seemingly endless rows of books, wondering what each title said while the others looked for clues as to what the sages were talking about. She eventually found one that caught her interest.

The book had a maroon cover with golden characters. There was nothing on the front to show that it was anything special, just an old, dusty book. She opened it and, much to her surprise, the book had pictures. They were mere sketches of things like swords, spears and armor. She found it a little odd, but her curiosity drove her. She finally stopped on one that seemed to jump right out at her. She couldn't place it, but something about that particular sketch seemed incredibly important. As if…

_Smack!_ Someone had run right into her, causing the book to topple to the floor. "I'm so sorry," they said. It was a woman, perhaps in her 20s, with long, tied back brown hair. She was dressed like one of Zelda's servants, white dress with a blue apron. She bent down to pick up the book. "I guess I need to pay better attention to where I'm going."

Instead of returning the book to Sora, she began flipping through it curiously. She seemed to become disappointed as she discovered what the contents of the book were. "Weaponry?!" she exclaimed. "What makes you so interested in this? All weaponry has to offer is war and destruction. We just started recovering from a war that brought nothing but chaos. What we _need_ are more doctors. Speaking of which, have you seen a book on herbs anywhere?"

Had she taken a breath at all? Sora didn't think so. Never before had someone out-talked her. She must've really believed in what she was saying. Now that she thought about it, she only knew one doctor and he was a total pain in the butt. "No, actually, I can't read."

The woman raised her eyebrows at her. "Funny place for you to be then." She looked back down at the book scoffing every couple of pages.

Sora looked over the edge of the book. She eventually saw the page she'd lost before. "Wait," the woman was about to turn the page but had stopped. "Can you read this for me? Just a little bit?" Something inside her needed to know what it was with _that_ particular sword that entranced her so much.

Rolling her eyes, the woman read; "_The Guardian Blade. More commonly known as the Sword of Two Worlds, it is said to be forged by the goddesses themselves. The material it was made of is unknown, but it's said that its true purpose was for its chosen master to channel their powers through it._" She sighed. "This is a bunch of bologna."

Sora was letting this sink in. _I swear I've heard this somewhere before, but where?_ "Keep going, please."

"_Its only master is the one known as the Twilit Guardian, one with both twili and hylian parents. They've been granted powers to keep the two worlds in balance. Legend says that once the Guardian dies, the goddesses choose the new parents and they are reborn. Yet, no record of such a person has existed for hundreds of years, leading some to believe that…_ Are you even listening?!"

Sora was too lost in thought to answer. _Twilit Guardian, enchanted swords, twili and hylian parents?!_ What was going on here? Why did everything seem to make sense, yet confusing beyond belief at the same time? She knew she's heard this somewhere before, but where? She was finally brought back to reality when the woman started waving her hand frantically in from of her face. "I…I'm sorry. You can stop now, thanks."

She shook her head and handed the book back to her. "You have some strange interests kid." With that she took off to find her book on herbs, leaving Sora alone with her thoughts.

The strange thing was she wasn't experiencing déjà vu at all. She _knew_ she'd heard this before. She could almost hear the voice telling her for the first time. "But… what does this have to do with me?" she mumbled instinctively, like someone, or something, had told her to.

"There you are," As Midna came down the row of books, Sora quickly hid the page which she still held open. "I thought you'd gotten lost or something." She smirked, then, looked at the book in her hand. "I thought you said you couldn't read."

"Can't," she shrugged. "I was just looking. Did you guys find out what we're looking for?"

"Almost. We figure "water" refers to Lake Hylia, but the other two aren't as easy to guess at."

"Why don't we just ask the sages where they hid them?"

Midna looked as though she was about to argue, but merely shook her head, "That was so obvious it's painful." She sighed. "C'mon, it's dinner time. Plus, Zelda says she has something for you."

Sora's stomach grumbled at the mention of food. She nodded and pretended to put the book back. As Midna turned away, she reopened it to that page. She didn't need the whole book, not that she had anywhere to keep it anyway. Making sure no one was looking; she ripped out the page and stuffed it away in one of the folds in her rags.

* * *

~So, how was it? I think my writing style is a bit rough, but I'm still working on it. Anyway, reviews are greatly appreciated so I can make it better. I'll also try and work faster next time.

Sora: Yeah, I'll make sure of it. *pushes button*

~ Ow!!! You put a shock collar on me?!

Sora: Yes, yes I did. *push*

~Dang it Sora, that hurts! Where'd you get that from anyway?

Sora: I think Midna got it to torture Link with. It's just serving a greater purpose now. *push*


End file.
